william a



(No Model.)

W; A. TURNER.

BREAST PUMP. No. 316,584.

. fa f Patented Apr. 28, 1885.

'lTES WILLIAM A. TURNER, OF BROOKLYN,

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM G. WOOD, OF WASHINGTON,DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

BREAST-PU IVI P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 316,58, dated April 28,1885.

Application tiled November 28, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. TURNER, of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Breast-Pumps; and I do hereby declare that the followingspecification, taken in connection with the drawings furnished andforming a part of the same, is a clear, true, and complete descriptionofmy IO lnvention.

The object sought by me is to produce, at comparatively low cost, acompact, simple, durable, and effective breast-pump which can bepromptly and conveniently released from I 5 adhesion to the breast.

It is well known that when breast-pumps are used upon sore and delicatebreasts the pain is sometimes so intense that instant relief should beafforded, and for accomplishing that purpose breast-pumps have beenheretofore provided with elastic vacuum-bulbs of peculiar shape, whichwere detachable from the pump. Others have had a slitted flexible pipebetween the vacuum-bulb and the mouthpiece of the pump, so that whensaid slitted pipe is bent in a certain direction the slit will be openand air admitted, and therefore when the pump is in use said slittedpipe must be held in a particular position in order that the slitreferred to can be maintained in a closed condition, and the elasticvacuum-bulbs of such pumps are of necessity provided with twoopening-sone for receiving an eductionvalve, and the other forconnecting with the 3 5 slitted tube.

Abreast-pump embodying my invention has a glass mouth-piece of commonform, and also a Vacuum-bulb having a single opening therein,

' and an externally-accessible releasing-valve.

40 In its best form my releasing-valve also operates as an exit-valve,through which air is forced from the bulb; but separate valves may beemployed without departure from certain portions of my invention.

5 The releasing-valve is located upon a rigid coupling-piece providedwith internal air-passages, and located between the bulb and mouthpiece,and although such a construction constitutes one portion of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the merematter of the location of said releasing-valve.

To more particularly describe my invention I will refer to theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of one of mypumps in its best form. Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal longitudinalsectional View of the rigid coupling-piece. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionof said coupling-piece on line 50, Fig. 1. Fig. 6

4. is a longitudinal section of a coupling piece differently constructedand provided with a cheaper variety of releasing-valve.

The glass mouth-piece A, its milk-reservoir B, and bulbous end 0 are allas heretofore. 5

The rubber vacuum-bulb D is provided with a neck, a, but has no otheraperture.

The coupling-piece E (shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3) may be composed of anysufficientlyrigid material, such as wood or hard rubber; 7 but whitemetal is deemed preferable. At its rear end it has' a bulbous neck ofcommon form, for enabling a firm interionengagement with the neck a ofthe vacuum-bulb in a manner well known, and at its front end it is similarly formed for like engagement with the short flexible and elasticrubber tube 5, by means of which the coupling-piece and the glassmpthpiece are united. This coupling piece has a central longitudinalair-passage, 0; but at its front end it is chambered or recessed for thereception of a disk, cl, which is centrally perforated, and between saiddisk and the bottom of the chamber a small flat thin piece of vulcanizedrubber, e, is secured 8 at one side, so that when said disk is fastenedin by burnishing the end of the couplingpiece it cannot be displaced,but will be free to operate as a hinged valve for guarding the aperturein the disk as against the forcible o passage of air from the bulbtoward the mouthpiece. About midway of its length this coupling-piece isalso provided with a lateral airpassage, f, which communicates with thecentral passage, 0, and has its entrance guarded 9 5 by areleasing-valve, g. As shown-in Figs.

1 to 3, inclusive, this valve is located upon one side of thecoupling-piece, and has a ver tically-projectingthumb-piece, g, and issocured to the coupling-piece by means of a loose pivot, which enablesthe lower or operative end of the valve to vibrate freely toward andfrom its seat.

For securing an air-tight closure of the passage f, the valve has a thinfilm of rubber on its face, and said face is also provided with acentral pin, which holds the rubber, and also enters the air-passage f,and to that extent serves to close the aperture; but these details ofconstruction may be varied without departure from this portion of myinvention, the gist of which is a coupling-piece provided with areadily-accessible and easily-manipulated releasing-valve, by which aircan be promptly admitted for relieving the suction upon a breast. v I orAll breast-pumps having a bulb capable of progressively inducing avacuum must of necessity have an exit-valve, which, like valve 9,enables the discharge of air from the bulb, and I have for the firsttime organized an exitvalve so that it performs the additional functionof a releasing-valve; and this feature constitutes another portion of myinvention.

In Fig. 4 I show a coupling-piece which is suited for use only upon thecheapest lines of goods. In this construction the two air-passages arewholly distinct from each other. The air-passage extends from end toend, as before described; but the valve 6 is located at the rear end ofthe coupling, and is a simple flap of thin rnbber,which can be held inplace by bending inwardly thereon a portion Of One side of the coupling.The air-passage f extends longitudinally from the rear end Of hcoupling-piece for a short distance,and thence extends laterally throughthe side there0f,and adjacent to its entrance the outside of thecoupling-piece is flattened to form a seat for the valve 9 which, ashere shown,is a thin flap of flexible rubber, secured at one side bybeing clinched within aslitted opening formed in the annular rim h. Thisreleasing-valve g has no thumb-piece; but it is nevertheless accessibleand easily manipulated, it being obvious that said valve may be readilymanipulated for lifting it.

In operation the mouth-piece is appliedsto a breast and the vacuum-bulbcompressed, thus forcing the air therefrom through the air-passage f,andon releasing the bulb from pressure the valve 9 or 9 will prevent theinduction of air to the bulb, except such as will be drawn from theinterior of the mouth-piece through the air-passage c, the valve 0preventing the passage of air from the bulb to the mouth piece when thebulb is next compressed. By thus working the vacuum-bulb a few times adesirable vacuum is induced within the mouthpiece for effecting thedraft of milk from a nipple, and at any time a prompt relief will beafforded by manipulating the releasingvalve, which admits external airto the bulb. Although the air thus admitted to the bulb does not at onceenter the mouth -piece, a speedy release is afforded, and, when the costof an extra valve need not be considered, the releasing-valve may openinto a passage communicating directly with the mouth-piece, asillustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 4.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In a breast-pump,the combination of themouth-piece,the Vacuum-bulb having a single opening therein, and theintermediate rigid coupling-piece provided with internal air-passagesand the externally-accessible releasingvalve, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a breast-pump, the combination of the mouth-piece, the vacuumbulbhaving asingle opening therein, the intermediate couplingpiece providedwith air-passages, and the re- 1easing-valve having a thumb-piece forconveniently controlling the entrance of air to the bulb, substantiallyas described.

3. In a breast-pump, a valve operating as an exit-valve for the passageof air forced from the vacuum-bulb, and provided with a thumb-piece, bywhich it is made to operate also as an externally accessiblereleasingvalve, substantially as described.

WILLIAM A. TURNER. [L. s]

Witnesses:

MURDOOH W. MOKENZIE, JOHN R. SUTER.

